Rivers of America Fun Facts

At one time, there were 2 riverboats plying the Rivers of America. The "Richard F. Iverine" and
the 'Admiral Joe Fowler". The Richard F. Iverine is now the Liberty Belle Riverboat.
The Admiral Joe Fowler was a larger, higher capacity riverboat that was based on the Mark Twain
at Disneyland. During a storm sometime in the late 70's, the Admiral was damaged. But later, it
managed to come back at Tokyo Disneyland, as there 'Mark Twain'. It is still in operation today.
REPORTED: Carey Holtsclaw 15 JUN 02

If you ask a cast member of the Liberty Belle's dock nicely, you can go up to the wheel house and ring the bell, toot the horn and drive the boat. You even get a certificate.
REPORTED: TR Shaw 22 SEP 96

The "Liberty Belle" Riverboat, which used to be the "Richard Irvine" actually is a steam boat. It uses Diesel to run the boiler. It is on a track.
REPORTED: Matt 18 JAN 02

The Rivers of America are connected via canal to the Seven Seas Lagoon and Bay Lake. Guests can swim in the water at Bay Lake, so a tetanus shot is probably not necessary if one falls into the Rivers of America.
REPORTED: Safari Steve: Jungle Skipper 06 NOV 99It is not true that you must have a tetanus shot if you fall in the Rivers of America. While I worked there, a Tom Sawyer's Island cast member I knew was hot dogging on a utility boat and ended up flipping it. Though the guy was laughed at for weeks, no tetanus shot was required, but his supervisor did give him a service award for making him laugh so hard.
UPDATE: Craft 13 DEC 01

I was in Disney circa '85, and they drained the entire Rivers of America. The Liberty Belle Riverboat is on tracks, which most people know, but what you don't know is that the lagoon itself is simply immense. Vans and trucks were in the lagoon, and looked like Matchbox cars out of their depth...literally. The boat was placed in the back, towards where the Seven Seas Lagoon mobile light show floats are stored. You could see the boat as you went by on the train, across the bridge.
REPORTED: Joseph St. Angelo 13 FEB 99